Series & Grade

Promotion Potential

Supervisory Status

Who May Apply

Control Number

Job Announcement Number

Job Overview

Summary

Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 1042985 (Include # on all documents)

To fulfill President Lincoln's promise  "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan"  by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Every job at the VA impacts the Veterans that we serve. You can be part of that team, helping to make sure that our Veterans receive the top-quality care they deserve.

As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities at your fingertips. Not only is it the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the nation, but we also provide many other services to Veterans through the Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries.

VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/ .

Duties

WORK SCHEDULE: Monday - Friday Day Shift

VA Palo Alto Health Care system
(VAPAHCS) is a large and complex VA health care system that provides veteran
health care throughout a geographically large catchments area and is a major
tertiary referral center with three hospital based division. This position
posted is located in Modesto, California, serving on the Primary Care - Mental
Health Integration Team. The
incumbent will be co-located within the primary care clinic(s) and integrated
within the primary care teams. S/he will be responsible for providing brief
assessment for general mental health conditions such as substance misuse, depression,
anxiety, cognitive limitations and reintegration stress. S/he will also
provide care-management (i.e. medication monitoring), brief therapy, crisis
intervention and problem-oriented interventions using evidence-based
interventions such as motivational interviewing and cognitive behavior
therapy. Services are provided individually, by group and through
telehealth. S/he may also assist medical staff with psychoeducational and
behavioral interventions targeted at health psychology focused issues such as pain
management, insomnia, treatment adherence issues and other medical conditions.
S/he will be knowledgeable about the variety
of mental health service options available through the medical center and local
community and will facilitate veterans obtaining access to these as needed. The
incumbent will provide clinical oversight for
unlicensed psychology technicians working on the Primary Care-Mental Health
Team. This position is part of the facility-wide Primary Care  Mental
Health Integration Program and the
incumbent will help in providing clinical cross-coverage for the team members
at other sites as needed. Staff Psychologists maybe involved in the training
of psychology practicum students, interns, and postdoctoral fellows and
trainees in other disciplines such as medicine, nursing, social work,
rehabilitation and others. They may also be involved in programmatic quality
improvement activities and in providing services that facilitate the operation
of the health care system such as Employee Assistance Counseling, VA Police
Psychological evaluations, and forensic evaluations. Staff Psychologists may
also be called upon to assist with a variety of administrative functions for
Psychology Service and for the Health Care System.

Travel Required

Not Required

Relocation Authorized

No

Job Requirements

Key Requirements

U. S. Citizenship

English Language Proficiency required

Designated and-or Random Drug Testing required

Background and-or Security Investigation required

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

U.S. citizenship.

Education

Have a doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed.

AND

Have successfully completed a professional psychology internship training program that has been accredited by APA.

AND FOR GS-13 LEVEL: Licensure. Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (e.g., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia.

Specialized Experience:

GS-11: Applicant must posses one (1) year of specialized experience that equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position at the GS-11 level. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-09 level related to the position. Specialized experience is professional experience that equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills and ability to diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders practicing under the close supervision of a licensed psychologist.

GS-12: In addition to meeting the basic education requirement above, you must posses the following; one (1) year of specialized experience that equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position at the GS-12 level. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 level related to the position. Specialized experience is professional experience that equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills and ability to apply, a wide range of professional psychological theories and assessment methods to a variety of patient populations, ability to develop coherent treatment strategies and the ability to incorporate new clinical procedures.

GS-13: In addition to meeting the basic education requirement above, you must posses any of the following; Do you possess one (1) year of specialized experience that equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position at the GS-13 level? To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-12 level related to the position. Specialized experience is professional experience that equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills and ability to apply a wide range of advanced professional psychological theories and assessment methods to a variety of patient populations, the ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health, and knowledge of clinical research literature.

Specialized experience is progressively responsible experience, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and is in or related to the work of the position. Such qualifying experience may have been gained in administrative, supervisory, managerial, or professional work, which provided the applicant an opportunity to acquire knowledge of management principles, practices, methods and techniques

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Applicants must, therefore, only report attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. *** If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. ***

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: This position requires light lifting under 15 pounds, both hands required; walking & standing 1 hour; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; depth perception; ability to distinguish basic color, shades of colors; hearing (aid permitted). The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Applicants must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. Ability to assess and provide treatment to patients who present suicide ideations.

Veterans' Preference:

When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on their application or résumé. Applicants claiming preference based on service-connected disability, or based on being the spouse or mother of a disabled or deceased Veteran, must complete an SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. Veterans who are still in the service may be granted tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications, but they must produce a DD Form 214 or other proof prior to appointment to document entitlement to preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx.

Security Clearance

Public Trust - Background Investigation

Additional Information

What To Expect Next

After we receive your complete application package (including any required documents), your qualifications will be reviewed to decide if you meet the basic requirements. You will be notified when this decision is made.

BENEFITS

Working for the Department of Veterans Affairs offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, thrift savings plan, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. In addition to traditional "dollars and cents" benefits, we offer a range of benefits to help balance work and life. For more information please visit us at http://www4.va.gov/JOBS/Job_Benefits/benefits.asp .

Other Information

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

Reasonable Accommodation: This office provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If requested and appropriate, and you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify this office either orally or in writing. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

VA employees, applicants for employment, and former employees shall not be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender (sex), national origin, age, physical or mental disability, and/or reprisal for filling a charge of discrimination, participating in an investigation, or having opposed prohibited discrimination. Sexual and non-sexual harassment based on the above categories is also prohibited.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies within (90) days.

How to Apply

To begin the process, click the Apply Online button at the right side of this screen to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.

YOU MUST INCLUDE COMPLETED (FILLED OUT, SIGNED, AND DATED) VA FORM 10-2850c IN YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS VACANCY. You may upload the completed form to your USAJOBS or Application Manager account if you apply online. Then you can use the uploaded form again and again when applying for future vacancies. Please see this guide (http://www4.va.gov/OHRM/joblistings/uploading-and-using-documents-online.doc) for more information on uploading and re-using the form in your applications. Other required forms and documents can also be saved in your account and used the same way. Applicants are urged to apply online; this process is much easier and faster.

Note: To return to a previously Saved or Incomplete application, just reapply through your account in USAJOBS. Check your account ( https://my.usajobs.gov/Login.aspx ) to see the status of your application after applying, including any messages that may have been sent to you.

Fax the completed 1203FX form along with all supporting documents to (478)757-3144. Your 1203FX form must be placed on top of all materials being faxed and will serve as a cover page for your fax transmission.

Keep a copy of your fax receipt in case verification is needed.

To fax supporting documents you are unable to upload:

Complete this cover page http://staffing.opm.gov/pdf/usascover.pdf using the following Vacancy ID: 1042985. You must use this fax cover sheet in order for your documents to be matched with your online application.

Fax your documents to (478)757-3144.

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Thursday, February 27, 2014.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your application, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. You may also be evaluated based upon the question responses you provide during a structured interview. In responding to structured interview questions you should be sure to cite specific examples of experience, explain exactly what you did, and the outcome.

If prior military service, include all copies of your DD Forms 214 (required). Applicants claiming preference based on service-connected disability, or based on being the spouse or mother of a disabled or deceased Veteran, must also complete and submit an SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (available at http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf).

If currently employed in the VA system, include latest SF-50 - Notification of Personnel Action. (required).